Rick Spielman

The 2016 NFL Draft is Finally Here, Vikings Fans!

by Austin Belisle - Apr 28, 2016

VT QOTW

2016 NFL Draft is Finally Here — Image courtesy of Vikings.com

The long hiatus from football is finally over, and in a little under five hours, Roger Goodell will take the stage in Chicago to kick off the 2016 NFL Draft. Fans have waited months for this night, when the 32 NFL franchises jostle, negotiate, and maneuver their way through the first round. Trades will be made, teams will reach for players, and picks will shock the football world — it’s just the cyclical nature of the draft.

Some general managers will surprise, but others, like the Minnesota Vikings’ Rick Spielman, will likely make the most of their limited draft picks. Spielman has an opportunity to make a splash — like drafting a top-tier wide receiver — with the 23rd-overall selection, but he also has seven other picks at his disposal.

At Vikings Territory, we’ve focused on the pick he’ll make tonight, not the players Spielman could draft on Friday and Saturday. So today, we’re each looking ahead and picking one player we believe the Vikings will select at some point this weekend.

Who is one player the Vikings will select in the 2016 draft?

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They’re Back: Vikings Players Address the Media

General News

by Austin Belisle - Apr 26, 2016

Vikings Players Address the Media — Image courtesy of Vikings.com

Blink and you’ll miss it, but the Minnesota Vikings have been training at Winter Park for over a week now. Lost in the hype for the 2016 NFL Draft is the fact that Vikings players are right in the swing of the annual offseason training program. And today, a handful of names — new and old — spoke to the media for the first time in months.

The hot topic was general manager Rick Spielman’s assertion that the Vikings could deal their first-round selection, the 23rd-overall pick, once the draft begins on Thursday. According to Spielman, two teams have already called about moving up, but the decision to trade likely won’t be made until Minnesota is actually on the clock.

Let’s rewind, though. The draft is less than 48 hours away, and we’re talking about players who aren’t even on the roster yet. For the Vikings currently working out in Winter Park, the offseason presents an opportunity to focus on improvements and speculate on a potentially exciting future. After a long hiatus from the spotlight, what were some of the best comments from earlier today?

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Josh Doctson It Is… Unless It Isn’t

NFL Draft 2016

by Adam Warwas - Apr 26, 2016

The latest Vikings draft rumors have them targeting Josh Doctson.

The draftnik community seems to recognize the Minnesota Vikings could go in a number of directions on Draft Weekend, but they are seemingly all hedging their bets towards a wide out being selected first. That speculation includes the most recent mock drafts posted by our staff here at Vikings Territory.

That speculation has been mainly narrowed down to two names: Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson.

We have discussed these two players at length on this site, including our recent “Question of the Week” segment focusing on which wide out our staff prefers in the first round.

The most recent rumors, courtesy of Matt Miller’s report at Bleacher Report, cites a Vikings scout as saying the team prefers Doctson over Treadwell.

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Andy’s ONLY 7-Round Vikings Mock Draft of 2016 [PODCAST]

Podcast

by Andy Carlson - Apr 26, 2016

As many Purple FTW! listeners know, I only do one mock draft a year. Mostly due to my lack of expertise and the rest is due to apathy, but it’s Draft week! And as Rick Spielman prepares to be the stone cold boss of the Vikings War Room (probably with one-handed pushups), I offer these humble suggestions for potential prospects straight from my weak and feeble fan brain.

The WTH is Andy Thinking? Picks Are:
1. (23) Josh Doctson, WR TCU – 6-2 202
1. (30)* Karl Joseph, S West Virginia – 5-10 205 (via CAR)
3. (86) Jaylon Smith, OLB Notre Dame – 6-2 233
5. (160) Drew Kaser, P Texas A&M – 6-2 212
7. (240) Moritz Wilhelm Boehringer, WR Germany – 6-4 227 (via BUF)
7. (244) Keith Marshall, RB Georgia – 5-11 219
7. (252)* Justin Zimmer, DT Ferris State – 6-3 292 (via CAR)
*Carolina trades their 1st (30) and 7th (252) for Minnesota’s 2nd (54), 4th (121) and 6th (180)

All that and other “Big Upside” nonsense on this edition of the Purple FTW! Podcast.

An Andy Carlson Joint

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Character Matters

NFL Draft 2016

by Adam Warwas - Apr 26, 2016

Teddy Bridgewater — Image courtesy of Vikings.com

As with any rule in the NFL, including the one that tells us what is and isn’t a catch, there are plenty of exceptions to the rule that says “character matters” when a front office decides to add a player to their roster.

Vikings fans are plenty familiar with exceptions to this rule. In modern history you can point to guys like Cris Carter, Randy Moss, Jared Allen, and even current Viking Everson Griffen as examples of young men that were able to overcome their early personal struggles to make a significant impact at the NFL level.

Despite all of those exceptions, however, NFL teams expend many resources to try and figure out what exactly exists between the ears of hundreds prospective players. The idea is that a player that is successful off the field is more likely to be successful on it.

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